"Computer, prepare to eject the warp core," B'Elanna said as she left. "Authorization TorresOmega593"
They ran out of engineering as fast as they could. Once the door closed on them B'Elanna said, "Computer, Eject the warp core" and collapsed onto the floor.
"Torres to Janeway."
"Go ahead."
"We've dumped the core."
She sighed. "Welcome to the worst day of my life."
But there was no time to be tired. They were dead in space. Janeway wanted impulse back online and for someone to retrieve the core.
"Tom," Janeway said. "Take a shuttle and find the core. See if you can tracker it back to Voyager."
"Yes Mam."
"It will be unstable. It should be repaired before he tries to put a tracker beam on it."
"Well then you go with him," Janeway said. "Do whatever you have to just get it back here in one piece."
Great so now she would be stuck in a shuttle with Tom for hours when all she wanted to do was sleep.
"We are getting near some random ion turbulence." B'Elanna said. They were in the shuttle on their way to get the core back.
"I'll change course to avoid it," Tom said.
"I wonder what else can go wrong today?" B'Elanna sighed. "If we get this core back I am going right to bed and sleeping straight through till tomorrow. Get this day over with."
"Well look at it this way," Tom said. "How much worse can it get. Having to dump the warp core has to be the low point of any day."
"Maybe it's me," B'Elanna said. "Maybe I've asking for this trouble somehow."
"Or maybe it's just a string of bad luck."
And then they found the core and again bad luck struck. The Kataty, a poor refuge race they had helped earlier that day had the core and were trying to tractor it without stabilizing it.
They rival ship ignored their warnings and B'Elanna was forced to try disrupt their tractor beam which didn't worked and blow up their shuttle. They beamed into space just before it exploded. So there she was floating weightless in the middle of nowhere with Tom Paris.
"Paris to Voyager. Do you read me? Please respond."
"It's no use," B'Elanna said. "The com systems in these suits won't carry that far."
"When they get the impulse engines repaired they'll come looking for us."
"Well I don't plan of just drifting here hoping someone will come along and rescues us. There must be something we can do."
"Agreed. If we could interplex the com systems in both suits we might be able to create a phrased carrier wave. Voyager would read the signature and know it's from us."
"Good idea. Let me access your controls."
Tom used the roping holding them together to pull himself close enough for B'Elanna to reach his suit's controls.
"This would be a lot easier if I had a hypo spanner. Hold still."
B'Elanna clicked away at the bottoms on his arm.
"Okay," B'Elanna said. "I'm ready to annicate the carrier wave."
"Ah!" The carrier wave was playing in Tom's suit. The noise was not pleasant.
"Sorry!"
She redirected it.
"Better?"
"Yeah, let's hope it's still that strong when it gets to Voyager."
They stayed in silence for a long time with only the sound of their own breathing for company. In the dead of space silence has a whole new meaning.
B'Elanna found she didn't like her thoughts very much while she was silent.
"This isn't anything like the simulations we had at the academy. They felt peaceful. Like floating in the womb. But right now I'm feeling a little sick to my stomach," B'Elanna said slowly.
"You dropped out too soon. In the third year theses a six week course of actual space walks so you can get used to them."
"I never would have lasted to the third year. If I hadn't dropped out they would have asked me to leave."
Tom laughed lightly. "I wish I had known you then."
"You'd have hated me."
"I can't imagine a time I wouldn't have found you fascinating."
B'Elanna rolled her eyes. He was always saying stupid stuff like that. She was saved having to reply by something banging into them. It rattled them is the small amount of metal, glass and fabric that was all that separated them from nothingness.
"What the hell was that?" Tom said.
"More ion turbulence."
"Warning oxygen level at 114 milibars," said computer in Tom's suit.
"My oxygen supply is leaking!"
Tom's breathing becomes desperate.
"Warning oxygen level at 93 milibars."
"We'll have to share mine," B'Elanna said.
Starfleet space suits are designed for sharing oxygen. It was a simple matter of redirecting the flow and plugging in her tank.
"Are you getting air now?"
Tom's breathing evens out.
"Yes. Much better. Thanks."
B'Elanna worked the controls on the arm of her suit. She looked worried.
"What's wrong?" Tom said, noticing.
"The turbulence must have damaged my suit too. I should have at least 24 hours' worth of oxygen but there's only about a half hour left."
"I'm lowering the oxygen ratio," Tom said. "That should give us a few more minutes."
"I'm feeling kinda groggy."
"Oxygen deprivation."
"And you're lowering it!"
"We have to try and make it last as long as possible."
"It's ironic," B'Elanna said. "Isn't it?"
"What?"
"Today, the Day of Honor, is the day I'm gonna die."
"We are not going to die," Tom said. "Would you stop talking like that."
"We have to face up to it Tom."
"There's something I've been wanting to ask you."
"Well now's the time," B'Elanna said though she had a pretty good idea of what Tom wanted to talk about.
"What are we doing?"
"Dying remember?"
"No, I mean us."
He could tell this was making her uncomfortable but he had to ask.
"We eat lunch together, we design holodecks programs together, we talk, we work together, is that really all you want?" Tom asked.
"I just…" B'Elanna struggled for words. "I… Can't we please talk about something else?" Her voice sounded so pathetic Tom almost agreed.
"I'm sorry but no," he said. "I can't ignore it anymore."
"You can be such a self-absorbed pig sometimes, Tom."
"Flattery won't get you any more oxygen," Tom said, joking to hide his pain.
"There I go again," B'Elanna said. "Pushing you away. You were right about me. It's what I do. Push people away."
"Well it's a sure fire way of not getting hurt," Tom said.
"What a coward I am."
"Shhh," Tom tried to comfort her. He leaned in and rested his helmet on hers. They just stayed like that. Not speaking. If she couldn't talk about it she couldn't talk about it. He was done pushing her.
He closed his eyes. There was only dark but as his mind faded the dark became colour and the colour became shape and the shape became form and the form was his quarters on Voyager.
"Tom is that you?"
He turned. B'Elanna was here with him. She was in a rather stunning night gown. She was walking toward him. His quarters seemed to blur as if she was coming into focus.
"Welcome home," she said. And she kissed him. It wasn't a deep kiss, more like a kiss hello. As if it was no big deal they were kissing. His things and hers were around the room. Not his quarters. Their quarters.
Tom was relaxed. This wasn't weird. He turned and followed her. The room he entered was a bedroom and she was lying on her back in their bed. He went to lay next to her and put his hand over her swollen belly. She put her hand on his face.
"Tom." She said.
"Mmm…" he said, half awake.
"Tom wake up."
"Why?"
"Come on open your eyes!"
B'Elanna's hand became hard and cold. He pulled his face away from the inside of his helmet and opened his eyes.
"Warning oxygen level at 104 milibars."
"That's it," B'Elanna said. "Open your eyes."
"Warning oxygen level at 87 milibars."
"I was having a dream," Tom said, groggily.
"There is something I have to say."
"Me too," Tom said. "I'm glad the last thing I'll see is you."
"I've been a coward about everything," B'Elanna said. "Everything that really matters."
"No." Tom shook his head. "You're being a little hard on yourself."
"No, I'm gonna die without a shred of honor and for the first time in my life that really bothers me. So I have to tell you something. I—"
"Warning oxygen levels at 71 milibars."
"I have to tell you the truth."
"About what?"
"I— I'm scared."
"Scared of what?"
"That I do want more… that I am falling in love with you."
"You picked a hell of a time to tell me," he said and they both passed out.